How Pep Guardiola’s tactics are to blame for Germany’s decline, according to ex-defender Hans-Peter Briegel
The Manchester City boss spent three years at Bayern Munich winning everything apart from the Champions League and now all the other coaches have followed Pep's style to the detriment of Joachim Low's side
GERMANY are rubbish and it’s all Pep Guardiola’s fault, according to former German defender Hans-Peter Briegel.
Since winning the World Cup in 2014, the Germans have steadily declined.
Joachim Low’s side lost to France in the Euro 2016 semi-finals and were embarrassed defending their World Cup crown at Russia 2018 finishing bottom of Group F.
And it has gone from bad to worse finishing bottom of their Nations League group and relegated to League B.
And the reason for the shocking run of results?
Briegel reckons Guardiola’s three-year stint at Bayern Munich and his tactics have had a negative impact on German football.
The Spaniard took charge at the Allianz Arena 2013 and imposed his passing and possession-based style on the German giants.
The Bavarians walked the Bundesliga three years in a row, won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Despite his success in Germany, Briegel believes Guardiola’s philosophy has altered the mentality of German football, with sides now fat too obsessed with controlling the ball in order to win games.
Briegel told : “A very simple principle has escaped our mind, that in football the result is more important than the control of the game.
“Since Guardiola arrived at Bayern Munich, something has changed.
“We had the illusion that 75 per cent of possession was needed to win.
“But having control of the ball is not enough to get a result, not always at least.
“Recent history, and also with the World champions France, has shown that you can also win by leaving the ball to the opponents and having less than 50% of possession.”
Guardiola has been hailed as a pioneer, the coach who has taken football to a new level.
But he would not have envisaged the legacy the 72-cap former West German defender accuses him of leaving.
Low’s sides have hogged the ball in recent games.
Germany have seen more of the ball than the opposition in all six competitive games in 2018, reaching as high as 74 per cent in the World Cup defeat to South Korea.
They did, however, get back to winning ways on Thursday when they beat Russia 3-0 thanks to goals from Leroy Sane, Niklas Sule and Serge Gnabry.
The four-time World Cup winners end their Nations League campaign at home to Holland on Monday.
